We all have dirty little secrets when it comes to cleaning, because let’s face it, as a mom, it’s hard to keep a perfect house without some trade-offs. Here are a few of mine. What are yours? Share your confession below for a chance to win a $100 gift card.

1)   I sometimes clean up after my kids because it’s easier than getting them to clean up after themselves.

As much as I’d love to take every opportunity to teach my kids to clean up after themselves, I admit that sometimes it’s just less stressful to pick up after them than to undergo the painstaking process of convincing them to clean up their own messes. As I type this, my living room floor is littered with wooden trains because tonight I preferred to get my preschooler in bed rather than face the 20-minute challenge of convincing my son that Thomas and Gordon didn't want to go for another race around the track.

2)   I find weird stuff in my washing machine.

I know I’m supposed to diligently check and empty pockets before items go into the washer, but either it’s really hard to do laundry with a preschooler affixed to one’s leg, or I’m just not a laundry expert As a result, I have found some strange things in my washing machine. Tissue wads and coins are pretty typical for many. But once I also found an entire diaper (clean as a whistle, I might add!), which was clearly tossed into the hamper along with the dirty sweatpants it resided in. It was also clear evidence that I do not sort laundry thoroughly enough.   I’ve also found soggy stickers, plastic toys from local fast food chains and too many rocks to count. Some days it’s like my washing machine is where random objects go to die.

3)  I’ve been known to “short cut” when company comes.

Instead of cleaning the bathroom, I just scrub the faucets till they shine because hey, a shiny faucet makes it seem like the rest of my bathroom is clean, right?  I also make sure the toilet isn’t covered with any potty training mishaps because we all know that a dirty toilet is the most “guest-noticeable” gross-out in a bathroom.  And who needs a dead giveaway that you didn’t painstakingly clean up the place before they arrived?  

What’s your cleaning confession? If you leave a comment or confession on this blog, you will have a chance to win a $100 gift card. We will randomly select one commenter to win.

No Purchase Necessary. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States & DC who are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry. Void where prohibited. http://www.clorox.com/legal/promotions/ for full rules. Contest starts 2/22/12 & ends 3/7/12.